Nursing bottle drinking tube



United States Patent 3,044,650 7/1962 Oltion 215/1 1 3,257,360 4/1966 Ponder 215/11X 3,326,695 6/1967 Neuhauser 215/1 1X 3,346,133 10/1967 -215/11 3,411,648 11/1968 215/11 3,438,578 4/1969 Peterson 239/33 Primary ExaminerDonald F. Norton At1arneySydney B. Schlessel ABSTRACT: A drinkingtube for nursing bottles and the like comprising a plug member for engagement with the nipple, a tube member extending substantially to the bottom of the bottle and a weighted base member secured to the free end of the tube, the tube comprising an upper rigid section and a lower flexible section, with a coil wound around the juncture of the sections to prevent pinching off of the tube at that point on the bending of the flexible section.

PATENIED D501 5 I976 l N VEN TOR.

NURSING BOTTLE DRINKING TUBE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates generally to the field of drinking devices for use within and in connection with nursing bottles for the feeding of infants with milk, formula, and the like, and has for its objective the provision of a drinking tube in engagement at its upper end with the bottle nipple, and which extends therefrom within the bottle to substantially the bottom thereof, the tube being so constructed and of such composition that the free end of the tube continuesto be immersed in the bottle liquid, so long as any remains, in any position of the bottle, upright, inverted and in between such positions, thereby providing for continuous flow of the liquid for the infant and thereby minimizing the possibility of air being swallowed by the infant in the course of its feeding.

2. Description of the Prior Art 1 In the past infants have been fed liquids, such as milk, formula and the like, from nursing bottles capped with nipples through with the liquid was sucked up and swallowed. Such feeding required that the infant be in an inclined position and the bottle titled, so that the liquid in the bottle was always in contact with the nipple, otherwise the infant was apt to suck up and swallow air instead of milk. This generally required constant attention so that the bottle, at no time during the feeding, changed position to the point where the liquid was not in contact with the nipple, causing the swallowing of air by the infant, resulting in discomfort and possible colic. Further, when the nipple was released from time to time by the infant, pausing in its feeding, the nipple would frequently fill with air as the vacuum created by the infants compression thereof drew in air from the atmosphere, and when feeding resumed the air would be sucked in by the infant before the liquid once again was drawn into the nipple. I

Earlier attempts to overcome these inherent disadvantages are found in the application of diversdevices employed as drinking straws, enabling the infant tofeed from a bottle in upright position (see, e.g., US. Pat. Nos. 3,346,133 and 3,41 L648) but while these devices permitted feeding with the bottle in an upright position they were useless when the bottle was tilted sufficiently so that the liquid left the area of the free end of the devices. Similarly, the device shown in US. Pat. No. 3,247,360 permitted slight tilting of. the bottle, but was useless in a sharp tilting of the bottle or an inversion thereof.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION.

The aforementioned disadvantages are overcome by the present invention, which provides a drinking tube having a substantially rigid upper section and a completely flexible lower section which is weighted at its free end so that the free end gravitates at all times to the lowest portion of the bottle, whether it is held upright, tilted or inverted, in the same manner as the contained liquid, with the top portion of the tube provided with valve means to retard the return of the liquid from the nipple to the bottle when the infant pauses in its feeding, thereby preventing the collapse of the nipple and the subsequent entry of air therein as it resumes its natural shape.

The objects and advantages of the present invention over the prior an are many, a few of which 'are herein specifically noted:

One of the important object of my invention lies in the provision of a drinking tube for nursing bottles and the like which has a lower section completely flexible and sufficiently weighted so as to gravitate to the lowest portion of the bottle at all times. Y

A second important object of my invention lies in the provision of a drinking tube whose upper section is provided rigid and offset, to afford maximum direction of movement for its lower section.

A third important object of my invention lies in the provision of a drinking tube which permits free flow of liquid there through in any position of the tube.

A fourth important object of my invention lies in the provision of a drinking tube having a check valve which prevents backflow of the liquid therethrough when the nipple is disengaged.

Still another important object of my invention lies in the provision of a drinking tube which is sanitary, reusable, inexpensive to manufacture, simple to employ and effective in all positions of the bottle with which it is employed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other salient objects, advantages and functional features of my invention, together with the novel features of construction, composition and arrangement of parts, will become more readily apparent from an examination of the following specification, taken with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of a preferred embodiment of my invention, installed within a nursing bottle, the latter being partly broken away;

- FIG. 2 is an enlarged top perspective view of the embodiment shown by FIG. 1, partly broken away;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken on lines 3-3 of FIG. 2; and 7 FIGS. 4 and 5 are diagrammatic cross-sectional views of the embodiment of FIG. 1, showing the bottle and drinking tube in different degrees of inversion.

Similar reference characters throughout the different views.

designate similar parts DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 discloses the drinking tube 10 disposed within a nursing bottle 12 and secured to a. nipple 14 which is mounted on the open end of the bottle 12 by means of its cap 16. The tube 10 comprises an upper hollow section 18, which is of rigid construction and composition, preferably of transparent plastic or the like, and a lower hollow section 20, which is highly flexible in construction and composition, preferably of rubber or similar synthetic material, the sections 18 and 20 being secured together to form a continuous hollow tube. Section 18 is provided at its free end with an enlarged circular plug member groove having a slotted central opening 24 therethrough and leading to an internal cavity 26, the latter communicating with the opening 28 in the section 18, as shown in FIG. 3. The cavity 26is provided with an enlarged central groove 30 supporting a ball 32 acting as a valve within the plug member 22 and adapted to seat against and close off the opening 28 to prevent liquid from returning into the tube 10 from the nipple 14, so as to allow the liquid within the bottle 12 to be sucked through the tube 10 and through the nipple 14, when the infant is feeding, by bypassing the ball 32 on either side thereof within the cavity 26. The diameter of the ball valve 32 is larger than the width of the slotted opening 24, so that the former is prevented thereby from leaving the cavity 26.

The plug member 22 is provided with a plurality of circumferential ridges 34 adapted to engage firmly the inside wall of the base of the nipple 14, to hold the tube 10 to the nipple 14. In construction, the plug member 22 is preferably made of the same material as the upper section 18, and may be molded in one piece therewith, with its cover 36 made separately and thereafter heat sealed in place after the ball 32 has been deposited within the groove 30. The upper section 18 may also preferably be molded with an offset, as shown, so that the section 18 of the tube 10 will lie adjacent the side of the bottle 12, thereby affording a maximum area of movement for the section 20.

An enlarged base member 38 is secured to the free end of the lower section 20, the base 38 having a central opening 40 communicating with the central opening 42 in the lower section 20, as seen in FIG. 2. The base should be of sufficient weight to pull the tube down gravitationally at all times, no matter what the bottle position may be, so that the base 38 is at'fall times in the same gravitational pull as the liquid 46 within the bottle 12, as shown by FIGS. 4 and 5, so that, as long as liquid remains within the bottle 12 the base 38 will be inirnersed therein. If necessary or advisable, a circular weight band 44 may be mounted around the base 38 to add the required weight.

spiral coil 48 is provided centrally around to exterior of the tube 10, extending partially around the upper section 18 andpartially around the lower section 20, so as to prevent pinching off of the tube 10 at the juncture of sections 18 and 20' when the lower sections is sharply bent, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, so that there is provided free flow of liquid 46 at all times and under all circumstances.

The tube 10 and all of its component parts are constructed of .tfriaterials which can be easily washed and sanitized, so that the tube 10 is reusable for a great many applications.

In the employment of my invention the drinking tube 10 is secured by thev plug member 22 to the interior of the nipple 14,:which is then secured upon the nursing bottle 12 which has already been filled with liquid 46, such as milk or formula, with the tube 10 extending within the bottle 12 to substantially the bottom thereof in upright position of the bottle 12. in this upright position the tube 10 is always immersed in the liquid 46, so that the infant has no problem in feeding from an upright position. When the bottle 12 is tilted, as shown in FIG. 5,.or practically inverted, as shown in FIG. 4, the base 38 gravitationally follows the movement of the liquid 46, so that the'tube 10 is always in contact with the liquid 46 regardless of therposition of the bottle 12, so long as any liquid remains in the bottle.

:From the foregoing it is obvious that the embodiment shown and-described is by way of illustration and not of limitation, and-that various changes may be made in the construction, composition and arrangement of parts without limitation upon or departure from the spirit and scope. of the invention, or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof inherent therein, all

of which are herein claimed.

lclaim:

1. in association with a nursing bottle and nipple assembly, a drinking tube comprising a hollow, elongated tubular member, a plug member secured to one end thereof, removably engageable to the nipple interior wall and provided with an axial passageway therethrough for communication between the nipple and the tubular member, and a weighted base member secured to the free end of the tubular member and provided with an axial passageway for communication therewith, the tubular member comprising a substantially rigid upper section and a substantially flexible lower section, and means disposed at the juncture of the sections to prevent closing off of the tubular member upon angled movement of the lower section with respect to the upper section.

2. A drinking tube as described in claim 1, the upper section provided offset to follow the contour of the bottle wall.

3. A drinking tube as described in claim 2, the means to prevent closure of the tubular member on angled movement of the lower section with respect to the upper section comprising a spiral coil secured around the tubular member at the juncture of the two sections and covering a portion of each section.

4. A drinking tube as described in claim 3, the plug member being circular and provided with a plurality of annular ribs adapted to removably engage the interior wall of the nipple.

5. A drinking tube as described in claim 4, the plug member being provided with a central cavity in communication with a slotted opening in the interior surface thereof, an enlarged axial groove in the cavity and a ball disposed within the groove for reciprocal movement therein, the ball diameter being greater than the width of the slotted opening and the diameter of the passageway in the tubular member. a

6. A drinking tube as described in claim 5, the plug member,

weighted member and upper section of the tubular member being composed of a plastic material and the lower section being composed of a rubber material.

7. A drinking tube as described in claim 6, a weighted band disposed around the base member to provide additional weight thereto. 

